A Garda investigation has begun into the death of an inmate in Portlaoise Prison yesterday. The 35-year-old Limerick man, who was serving a five-year sentence for his role in the Continuity IRA (CIRA), was found dead at 10.30am in his cell on E4 landing. Conor Lally reports
Informed sources said he had apparently hanged himself. It is the first paramilitary prison suicide.
The dead man was found by fellow inmates who had gone to check on him after he failed to get out of bed. They raised the alarm, and the deceased was attended to at the scene by prison medics and the prison doctor.
Efforts were made to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. His remains were moved to Portlaoise hospital.
Gardaí were informed and an investigation begun. A number of gardaí visited the prison.
Prison authorities have opened their own separate investigation, and a report on the incident is being prepared for prison governor T J Walsh.
The Prison Service confirmed that a 35-year-old inmate had been found dead at the prison. A spokesman declined to comment further.
There are just over 60 paramilitary prisoners in Portlaoise. These are members of the Provisional IRA, "Real IRA", CIRA and INLA.
The dead man had been in a single-berth cell since he was committed to Portlaoise in November 2004.
He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment on firearms offences by the Special Criminal Court in February. His eight accomplices were given terms of between four and six years.
Gardaí discovered four guns, a makeshift firing range and targets when they raided a suspected CIRA training camp in the southeast three years ago.
They found four men, including the deceased, at a firing point being given instructions by two others. Three men armed with shotguns were acting as sentries.
Gardaí who had been observing the training heard up to 60 shots being fired.
The men arrested at the scene all pleaded guilty to firearms offences.
During a bail hearing in August 2003, one of the men told the court that the men were deer-stalking in advance of the hunting season. When asked if this necessitated wearing a balaclava, he replied that he needed to cover up so the deer would not spot him.